The North Carolina Family Practice Practice-Based Research Network (NCFP-PBRN) proposes further infrastructure development (Category I) and 4 exploratory/pilot projects (Category II), in response to AHRQ RFA #HS-02-003. The NCFP-PBRN consists of 16 family practice sites, which constitute a stratified (rural/urban, region) sample of the state's practice settings. It was founded by the Department of Family Medicine and the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at the University of North Carolina under a 2-year (2000-2002) grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with supplemental institutional funding to enhance minority recruitment. Initial funding was awarded to study complementary and alternative medicine use in arthritis; however from its outset the NCFP-PBRN was structured with the intention of fostering a wide range of primary care-based studies, centered around a representative group of practices and a practice-based cohort of adult patients. The NCFP-PBRN has enrolled and is currently maintaining a cohort of approximately 4,500 adult patients who were recruited in 2001 from participating practices. Papers currently in process using data from this cohort address the prevalence of depression in older persons, the relationship between race and health-related quality of life, and use of complementary and alternative therapies by persons with arthritis. The proposed project will enable the NCFP-PBRN to further develop its mission and progress toward self sustainability by strengthening project infrastructure and communication, and by supporting pilot studies with high potential for leading to funded projects that translate research findings into practice. Aims include: 1) development of processes and personnel for research coordination, 2) enhancement of communication linkages, 3) recruitment of four minority-focused practices, 4) development of a community health indicators database, and 5) conducting four pilot studies. Topics of proposed pilot studies include physical activity in persons at high risk for type II diabetes, sexual health problems in aging and chronic illness, end-of-life planning in primary care, and surveillance for bioterrorism. Three of the proposed pilot studies seek to identify effective strategies to apply research evidence to practice; the fourth will develop valuable insights into minority populations.